Machine for putting labels on dry goods.



W. P. ANTHONY;

MACHINE FOR PUTTING LABELS 0N DRY GOODS.

Patented May 6, 1913.

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APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1911.

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. W. P. ANTHONY. MACHINE FOR PUTTING LABELS ON DRY GOODS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 9, 1911.

' Patented May 6, 1913.-

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'W. P. ANTHONY. MACHINE FOR PUTTING LABELS 0N DRY GOODS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE9,1911.

Patented May 6, 1913.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTQE.

WENDELL P.. ANTHONY, OF RIDLEY PARK, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOB TO THE EDDY- STONE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF EDDYSTONE, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPO- RATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

MACHINE FOR PUTTING LABELS ON DRY GOODS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 6, 1913.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, WENDELL P. AN- THONY, a citizen of of the United States, and resident of Ridley Park, county of Delaware, State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machines for Putting Labels on Dry Goods, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention comprises a machine for detaching labels or portions thereof from a continuous strip and affixing them successively to any objects to be labeled.

The specific object of the invention is to provide an attachment for a machine for folding a continuous web of cloth, the attachment being designed and operating to successively detach labels from a continuous strip of gummed material and affix them to the web of cloth at intervals as the latter is folded. It is desirable to affix labels or trade-marks to .cloth at short intervals so that each piece which is sold will bear the mark of the manufacturer or dealer as the case may be.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a folding machine of a well known type, partly broken away, and provided with my improved label afiixing devices; Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are side elevations of the label affixing mechanism showing the same in different positions; and Figs. 5 and 6 illustrate details.

Referring to the drawings, A indicates a fabric folding machine of a well known type, a detailed description of which may be omitted. The web of cloth 10 is drawn over a support or platform 11 and is carried back and forth by a vibrating device 12 which folds it over a table or support 13, the folds being caught and held by gripping devices 14. The device 12 is operated by a link 15 and crank arm 16 carried by a shaft 17 My invention is designed to place labels periodically upon the folds of the cloth overlying the table 13. Assuming that the folds of cloth are one yard long, between the gripping devices H, my device is adapted to place a label on every second, fourth or sixth yard, or farther apart depending upon the gearing employed.

The label affixing mechanism comprises a mutilated gear 18 on a shaft 19 which is continuously driven by gearing connecting it with the shaft 17. As shown particularly in Figs. 2and 3 the gear 18 meshes with a pinion 20 on a shaft 21, which pinion is provided with a broad tooth 22 adapted to cooperate with the plain portion of the periphery of the gear 18. The toothed segment of the gear 18 is adapted to mesh with the teeth of the pinion 20 and to impart to the pinion a complete revolution for each complete revolution of the gear, the pinion being stationary during the larger portion of the rotation of the gear. The pinion 20 and its shaft 21 therefore make a complete rotation rather rapidly and then remain idle for a considerable period.

A bar 23 is connected at its rear end to the crank pin of a crank 24 carried by the shaft 21 and is supported and guided near its forward end by a link 25 which is pivotally mounted on a stationary base 26 fixed to the folding machine. On the forward or free end of the bar 30 is supported a continuous roll 27 of paper or like material bearing the prints, labels or trade-marks which it is desired to affix to the goods. Upon the head 28 which carries the roll is mounted a pair of feed rolls 29 and 30 which are geared toget-her and driven by a gear 31, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. The rolls are pressed toward each other by a spring or springs 32 and they may be provided with cutting or perforating devices 33 adapted to sever the strip 27 coming from the roll 27. As shown the cutting devices 33 are fixed on one of the rolls and cooperate with recesses in the opposing roll. The strip 23 is guided by idle rolls 34, 35 which run freely between the jaws of the head 28.

The gear 31 is given a partial turn each time the shaft 21 rotates to feed the requisite amount of the strip 27 As shown this is accomplished by means .of a star wheel 36 on the shaft 37 of the gear 31, which star wheel engages a pin 38 on a bracket 39 fixed on the base plate 26. In Fig. 2 the star wheel is shown in engagement with the pin which is rotating it in the direction of the arrow, the strip 27 being simultaneously fed downward. The shaft- 21 rotates in the direction of the arrows shown in Figs. 2 and 3 and as the bar 23 moves forward the free end 27 of the strip is drawn over the moistening roll 40 and the gum on it moistened so that it will adhere to the folded fabric.

The further forward movement of the bar 23 brings the free end of the strip onto a fold of the fabric, as shown in Fig. 4, and simultaneously a presser foot 41 presses it onto the fabric, causing it to adhere. The presser foot is on a support 42 pivotally carried by the bar 23, the foot being upon a spring-pressed plunger sliding in the support 42. The presser foot takes hold of the end of the strip just before the bar 23 completes its forward movement and during the last movement of the bar the label 27 is torn from the strip along the perforations formed by the rolls 29 and 30. This tearing results from the fact that the presser foot remains stationary after it comes to rest on the fabric while the head 28 carrying the perforating rolls moves slightly forward, thus bringing tension upon the strip between the presser foot and the rolls. Immediately after the label is detached and affixed to the cloth the crank arm 24 begins to draw the bar 23 rearward and the link 25 causes the head 28 to rise and move rearward. During this rearward movement the star wheel passes over the pin 38 and is not interfered with. During the rearward movement of the bar 23 an arm 43 of the presser foot support is caught by a pin 44 on the link 25 and held away from the head 28. The arm 43 is thus supported by the pin 44 until the de vices have closely approached to the position shown in Fig. 4, at which time the presser foot is freed and permitted to swing forward to engage and detach the label. The moistening wheel 40 runs in a small trough 45 of water which may be continu ously supplied from a tank 46 through a tube 47 A spring 48 connects the forward part of the bar 33 with the rear of the base 26 and constantly tends to draw the bar rearward. By inspection of Fig. 3 it will be noted that this spring constantly tends to rotate the pinion 20 during the time when the pinion is held from rotation by the blank portion of the gear 18. This tendency facilitates starting of the pinion and of the intermittent apparatus which it drives. I also preferably provide a cushioning spring 49 against which the link 25 abuts when the apparatus is in its rearmost position. This spring serves to prevent shock and noise due to lost motion during the reversing movement of the bar 23 and its connected parts.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated in the drawings the label aflixing devices are accurately timed with respect to the movements of the cloth-folding devices so that the several mechanisms do not interfere. It will be understood that the label is afIiXed after the device 12 has started to move forward, and that the label aflixing device moves rearward out of the way of the device 12 before the' latter reaches its rearmost position. This timing is easily accomplished by operating the several devices from the same shaft 17, as shown in the drawings.

It will be evidentthat modifications may be made in various parts of my improved apparatus without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention and that some parts may be omitted without affecting the operation of the remaining parts. For instance, the strip 27 might be provided with perforations or weakened transverse lines and the feed rolls might be geared so as to feed the strip exactly the distance between these lines, so that the perforating or severing teeth 33 might, in some instances, be omitted. In some instances also, the strip might be ungummed and the roll 40 might be supplied with liquid paste or gum instead of water.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters-Patent is:

1. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support, mechanism for placing the material to be stamped on said support, a shaft arranged to rotate in definite relation to said mechanism, intermittent gearing actuated by said shaft, a bar arranged to be moved endwise and oscillated by said gearing, and means carried by said bar for affixing stamps to the material after it has been placed on said support,

2. In a machine of the class described, the combination of asupport, mechanism for placing the material to be stamped on said support, a shaft arranged to rotate in definite relation to said mechanism, a bar arranged to be moved endwise and oscillated by said shaft, means on said bar for holding a stamp strip, means for intermittently feeding the stamp strip, and means for severing stamps from the strip and affixing them to the material after the latter has been placed on said support.

3. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support, mechanism for placing the material to be stamped on said support, a shaft arranged to rotate in definite relation to said mechanism, a bar arranged to have one end move in a circular path, a link mounted on a fixed pivot and pivotally connected with the bar intermediate the ends of the latter, and means on the other end of said bar for affixing stamps to the material after it has been placed on said support.

4. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support, mechanism for placing the material to be stamped on said support, a shaft, intermittent gearing driven by said shaft, a bar arranged to have one end moved in a circular path by said gearing, means for causing an intermediate point on said bar to move in a curved path, and

means on the other end of said bar for affixing stamps to the material after it has been placed on said support.

5. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support, mechanism for placing the material to be stamped on said support, a shaft, a bar, means operated by said shaft for moving one end of said bar in a circular path, means adapted to move an intermediate point on said bar in a fixed path, means on the other end of said bar for holding a stamp strip, means carried by the bar for feeding the stamp strip, stationary means for moistening the stamps, and means pivotally connected with said bar for pressing the stamps on the material.

6. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support, mechanism for placing the material to be stamped on said support, a bar, means carried on,one end of said bar for affixing stamps on the material, means at the other end of the bar for op erating the same, means on the bar for feeding a stamp strip, and stationary means arranged to engage the stamp feeding means and actuate the same during the movement of the bar.

7. In a machine of the class described, the combination of a support, mechanism for placing the material to be stamped on said support, a bar, means carried on one end of said bar for affixing stamps on the material, means carried by the bar for feeding a stamp strip to said affixing means, means for operating the bar, and stationary means, arranged to be engaged by the end stamp of the strip during the movement of the bar, for rendering the stamps adhesive.

8. Amachine for afiixing labels comprising a pivotally mounted bar, means for giving said bar an oscillatory movement, means mounted on said bar for feeding labels, means for moistening the labels, and a presser foot pivotally mounted on said bar and adapted to detach the successive labels and press them against the object to which they are to be af'lixed, the pivots upon which said bar and said presser foot are mounted being arranged substantially parallel with each other.

9. A label aflixing mechanism comprising a bar, a link supporting the forward end of the bar, a crank connected with and operating the rear end of the bar, a head carried at the free end of the bar, a strip carried by the head, feed rolls carried by the head and between which said strip passes, means for feeding said strip intermittently, and a presser foot also carried by the bar and adapted to engage the free end of the strip and press it upon the surface to which the label is to be attached.

10. A label affixing mechanism comprising a head having an oscillatory movement, a roll or a strip of labels mounted on the head, feed rolls mounted on the head through which the strip passes, and means for turning said rolls comprising a star wheel on the said head and a fixed pin with which said star wheel contacts once only during each cycle of operation.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

VENDELL P. ANTHONY.

Witnesses M. H. MOFARLAND, BENJ. /Vnnz, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

